Saturday, August 30, 2008

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Shit- where is that quote from?!? Eddie Murphy, I think...but what movie?!?

Anyway:

Sorry for the lack of posts this week- things have been very, very hectic. Tons of design needs + lots going on at home (trip to LA, my oldest going to Kindergarden for the first time and trying to come up with a good, functional schedule with that in mind, reading legal documents that put me to sleep, trying to get a level of the ultra fantastic Bangai*O spirits made for the contest but missed the deadline,etc,etc,etc...)...So I've been bizzy. Will try to get a video update today or tomorrow.

Meantime, saw on Neo-Gaf that Snowblind Studios was making this XBLA game called DEATH TANK and went to the SBS webpage to see if there were screens. There were not but there was this:

Not sure what it's from- concept art from a new game? From an old game? I dunno.

I have appreciated alot/all of the Snowblind games in the past, respected the top down 'Gauntlet meets D&D rule set' titles they did (I get the whole SOE/Snowblind Norrath/Chapions thing all confused...are they the same?!?)...and wait, didn't they do the Balduer's Gate action game too?!?! So confused.

Either way, I appreciated them, but never got into them all that much. Perhaps I should give them a second chance, but I got bored real fast walking into Inns and being told to go kill some rats in a basement. I get that that is the genre and D&D folks are used to starting slow and building up, but for me, that is just too dull.

But again, I thought they seemed like very, very well made games and I know they have their legion of fans.

But so I saw this image and, like I said, I don't know if it's from a new or old game. But MAN I see this and go: I SO WANNA PLAY THAT GAME!!! I so wanna play a D&D flavored multiplayer game with 4-8 people in my party and be sent on intricately designed quests that call for platforming, puzzle solving, and combat.

Not a big WOW guy cause- hell, I dunno why...but I'm not so much about the level grind. The whole fascination with/addiction of leveling up a character is missing from my DNA. Never got swept up in Diablo fever or WOW fever for that very reason. And it seems so many RPGs are about that kind of stuff. But I want an RPG that puts most of the focus on living the fantasy promised in the amazing concept art: the traps and puzzles and monsters and amazing locations to explore. To me, that = RPG...not spending 10 hours trying to find the purple cloak of doom to show off to my friends. I mean, that has its place, but it's not the stuff that gets me jazzed about D&D style worlds.

Anyway, so there is one more useless tidbit you get to know about me. :)

Oh, and I played THE LAST GUY demo last nite- that's pretty darn cool. Not sure if the full game will keep me interested that long but I do like it. I'll wait for more reviews (I saw the 9.0 IGN one!) and see if it's my cup of tea. It's actually kind of useful being an independent developer making a lot less money now than I did at Sony. I ain't eating mac and cheese and ramen every nite (not that I would mind, I LOVE those things!) BUT money is MUCH tighter now that I ain't a Sony man anymore. No complaints, and it's actually kind of cool because suddenly I look at 10 bucks for a game in a new light. To me it used to be: ah,10 bucks, whatever...10 bucks for 45 min of fun=good deal.

But now? I mean, yeah, I got SOME cash to burn, and it's not like us Eat Sleep Play folks are little Dicken's characters pressed up against the window of the inn and begging for scraps. But these days I am more aware of what I spend and 10 bucks for that game- at the moment- seems kind of high. Not that I don't like the demo- thought it was great! But seems like it'll get kind of samey after about 20 minutes. Am I wrong?

But isn't that amazing? Back when we put out Calling All Cars I had a totally different take on it. So I am very appreciative of this new perspective. Maybe it will make me a better designer!

Ok, so I really gotta get back to level design. So lemme update a bit later today or tomorrow, catch up with ya'll, cool?

Friday, August 22, 2008

ps. been brought to my attention this was a game on Dreamcast and, among shooter fans and Treasure lovers (dug Gunstar, but have not really played a Treasure game in a while) this game is kind of creme of the crop. So wow- no pressure or anything!!! :)

Man, I hope he picks Hillary. I don't like her public persona but I think she'd make a great VP and eventually a great pres. If they can swallow their pride, I bet they'd make a great team and MAN, I bet they would clean up in November...I would be happier with Wes Clark but dunno if he is as strong from a pure 'get out the Democratic vote' standpoint. I like Biden as well, but feel he has the same lack of 'kick' that Clark does. Sad that that is what it comes down to but, it kinda does in this day and age. It's what happens when we put most of our tax dollars into stupid shit like bullshit wars and ignore public education.

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Got this from Wil Wheaton's great blog. I mean, I don't know how I can add anything else so I'll just say: good night! :)

Monday, August 18, 2008

********************UPDATE: Seen a few posts on other sites (that have linked to this post) where people are assuming the reason Flower works on an emotional level is the graphics and the music. Let me just say- without giving anything away- that Flower's music and art- great as it is...and it IS great- is NOT the core thing I am responding to. That is why I think Flower is so special. And so rare in games.

I am not one of these guys who can be so easily manipulated...there are classic games- some of my faves of all times- that people call 'art' just because you hear the wind blowing and the colors are kind of washed out/blown out and there's not alot of killing going on and it's all kind of echoy and stuff....love the game I am thinking of, btw (in my top 5 of all time) but it does not- in my book- get to be called art just cause it has this layer of 'arty farty' over the gameplay...and hell, I think flOw got some of it's love because of this same sort of 'arty farty' presentation....just like GOD OF WAR got some of it's love because of its brutal presentation....and that was- design wise for GOW- intentional....so I get the technique, I understand it and like using it. It's a short cut technique to making the player feel, and it works by taking techniques that the player has already been trained to respond to- usually by the movies-and simply applying them to games. But let's be honest about it: it's cheating. In these cases, the games never really earn the emotion they ellicit (and you'd think critics would call us on it, but they don't. I mean, man,Twisted Black got MUCH better reviews than the core play deserved because of the dark theme that was simply us ripping off movies like Seven....not that TMB is not a good game, I think it is a really good game, but it was NOT as good as TM2, but you would have never known it from the over blown review scores.)....either way, that technique is not why I am responding so strongly to Flower. The cheating technique is there- by the way- in Flower,in spades. TCG does it better than most companies these days. But that's not the magic in the sauce...at least not for me...

END UPDATE*********************

Hey guys- sorry for the lack of updates last few days. Just been swamped.

A coupla quick hits:

#1- Got a great demo of That Game Company's newest game FLOWER when I was in Santa Monica last week. Holy Shit! Now I had played the first level before and really liked it. I had liked it alot more than flOw which- as I always say- I APPRECIATED but never really enjoyed as a game experience. But this new game? Shit, man. It's on the road to being a classic, no doubt. And I don't say that lightly cause while the core game mechanics are fun, it- in my mind- lives or dies by the emotions it creates while you play. And you guys know I'm a disappointed cynic when it comes to video games evoking subtle emotions in players. But I'll tell you what- from what I saw on Friday- these guys/gals at TGC are well on their way to having made one of the most emotional games of all time. I love what I saw. And if the whole game feels like the stuff I saw last week...well wow! Just wow! And the coolest thing to me is, hell, now I'm inspired to step up to the plate and try to do something a bit more meaningful as well. Maybe not with our current title, but one day soon. Thanks TGC!

#2- I was having a hard time coming up with some ideas today so I figured I'd take my mind off work by sticking my Mighty Muggs Indy that I got from Comic Con into my fake bamboo plant and pretending he was in the jungle. Yep, I am a total loser :) I am not sure if this is one of the benefits or one of the pitfalls of working at home, alone, where there is no one around to judge you :) Except little kids...who happen to think stuff like this is cool. Still, 5 minutes after I did it, I took Indy out of the plant and put him back on the shelf. I just felt too lame.

Back when we did Twisted Metal 1, the first printing of that game had my name on the box, on the back under a small little designed by credit. I think it said- DESIGNED BY: DAVID JAFFE & SINGLETRAC...here, check it out:

Sorry it's a bit blurry...

My desire for this came directly from seeing Sierra Online do something similar with their PC adventure games. Heck, those folks got names AND their pictures on the box!!! My desire also came form the fact that I wanted to make a name for myself as a game designer and hell, at the time, Sony didn't even think about it and just said:sure. But then they changed their minds! Some of it was the complaints from the rest of the team...some of it- I assume- came from them going: 'wait, why are we helping this guy become his own brand?!? A brand that we financed but don't own? Hell no!!!'

...well that is what I assumed happened in SOMEONE'S mind. Or not...maybe it was just the team complaining :)

But in the case of Twisted, the team- rightly so- did indeed scoff and so upon second printings, my name was removed.

Now I am not saying my name should NOT have been on the box. It should have. But so should perhaps 5 other folks from Singletrac who did key design and/or creation work and really birthed that franchise. And that is not to take away from all the work the rest of the team did or all the work the publisher did. And hell, if we were a logical business and shared a handful of game engines across all games versus all of this 'let's make our own fucking engine so our graphics can be 2% better than our competition even tho most of the public could really give a rat's ass when you are talking about that level of a difference', then a few of those 5 would not be on the box either because they would be being given credit for having written an amazing engine that LOTS of games used, not just TWISTED METAL (and WARHAWK)....are we getting there with stuff like the success of UNREAL ENGINE? And with the success of Wii where it's been made clear that a vast number of gamers do not think graphics have to make your eyes bleed for a game to be worth buying? We'll see...

So two more things on the NAME ABOVE THE TITLES issue:

#1- The idea of ASKING a publisher what they think about this issue and expecting an answer that is actually balanced is absurd. Trust me, if movie studios didn't HAVE to give credit, they would not. Why would they- or why would game publishers? It's bad business. The pubs and studios put up the cash- usually- and they take the biggest risk. Why would they EVER want the success of a movie or game associated with anyone other than them? I get that. But in movies, they do it cause it's contractual and they do it because they are forced to do it or those above the line talents will go work somewhere else. And in DOING so, the above the line names become valuable brands which do benefit the studios on a movie by movie basis, but benefit the individual actors/directors for the duration of their career- no matter what studio they choose to work with.

In games, it's not the case because so far, game developers (either as teams or as individual 'stars' on a team), have yet to prove that they can bring in cash on a consistent basis. What brings in real cash in games are brand names of franchises: GTA, HALO, CALL OF DUTY. Yes, those names become brands because talented teams make amazing products BUT all one needs to do is look at the mega success of Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4 (games that many folks did not think were as good as the originals) to see that the majority of the buying public is as fine with a 70% metacritic rated game as they are with a 95% metacritic rated title. As long as they get the core fantasy delivered and it's marketed well, they'll show up.

And so until developers- be them individual stars or the core members on the team- can really prove- on a consistent basis- that they can make hit after hit after hit IN DIFFERENT FRANCHISES (without NEEDING to attach an expensive comic or movie license to their games in order to do so), game makers have little room to negotiate. Even the guys who make CALL OF DUTY, HALO, and GTA are not in a perfect position, as amazingly genius as they are. Because All of those games- even if given to C+ level developers- can still make crazy cash for at least 2-4 more iterations before the public catches on and stops buying the series. I am almost certain that if those developers walked away because their money demands were not met, the folks who own the rights to those series would keep pumping them out- regardless of quality- and keep raking in the cash.

Maybe the problem is game makers have been assuming quality=value. But it does not. Hell, GOD OF WAR- which many folks felt was a quality game- got it's ASS KICKED ALL OVER THE PLACE in sales by the FANTASTIC FOUR movie video game (which many folks felt was not a very high quality product...and I know some of the folks who made it and they worked their asses off, but look, let's call it like it is...it was not a great game by many people's standards). But I'll tell you what, it sold like crazy cakes dude.

So the reality is, sales=value; ability to create sales=ability to negotiate. So if a developer out there is able to create consistent hit franchises, then you will see the name(s) of those folks above the titles because then they will have the leverage to demand such treatment.

Reality is, I can't think of anyone in the biz who has done that other than perhaps Miyamoto (if you look at ALL the stuff he's made). And for whatever reason, he seems content to stay at the big N and not demand his due. And you guys who like to go all hater on me and call me arrogant can talk all you want about company loyalty and that Miyamoto is a class act who would never demand such things. What-the-fuck-ever, dude. He may very well be a saint. Good on him. I got nothing but love for Miyamoto. But business is business and if you are a key player in making someone a shit ton of money over and over and over, in my book, you damn well better be getting your due (be it mega bucks or name above the title or whatever the hell you want). And Miyamoto may very well feel that he is very well compensated. I am aware there is a vast cultural difference between East and West on this subject. I have no way of knowing the details of his situation. All I am saying is, he's the only one I can think of who has been key in making mega hits in various franchises. Can you think of anyone else?

#2- Alot of the net posters commenting on this story are assuming game devs who want this treatment are ego maniacs. They then go on to say that movie stars and movie directors are ok to ask for it because that's just how it is, but game makers are assholes if they as for such treatment. To these folks I say: go fuck yourself. The movie folks negotiated for those credits and fought tooth and nail for them. They were not just given them by the movie gods or the kind folks who run the movie studios or the movie going public. So don't accuse us of being arrogant just because some of us would like to be treated with as much re$pect (be it money or credit, and preferably both) as we can get away with. Plus, granted Miyamoto and Wright are not as big of names as Spielberg. BUT THAT IS BECAUSE MIYAMOTO AND WRIGHT DON'T HAVE NAMES ABOVE PRODUCTS and they don't have ability to negotiate for the sort of press treatment and PR perks that movie folks get (which, in turn, turns them into brand names). The only way they will become mainstream is if they MAKE THEMSELVES mainstream. It is not magic, it's a calculated process. But that ain't really gonna happen unless there is a big shift in the way games are financed. I just saw some of the ex Midway guys are starting a console game co. with VC money...so maybe when the money comes from VC versus publishers, the VC will be more willing to let the game makers have their very valuable time in the sun.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

As most parents with small kids do, I am always ‘almost tripping’ over all sorts of toys that have been scattered about the house. Stuffed animal on the stairs, Littlest Pet Shop figures on the bathroom floor, stray Baby Einstein DVDS- their cases having gone missing months ago- strewn all over the living room, waiting for me to crack them in half with one poorly placed step.

This morning I almost tripped and fell on the way into the bathroom. My kneejerk was to scream out, “MOTHERFUCKER!!!!”…then I thought better of it (much as I am cool with cussing, I try not to do it in front of the girls) and so instead I decided to yell, “AAALLLLVIN!!!!” But that was only because we had just seen the movie version of Alvin and the Chipmunks a few weeks ago. The girls would have thought I was just goofing on the movie so I decided not to, as I didn’t want them to think leaving their stuff all around was ok.

But amid the annoyance and anger, it occurred to me how amazingly lucky I am. How amazingly lucky to even be in a situation where I could have almost tripped over some toys that would not even be in my house had I not had kids.

I have kids.

And I’m one of those people who WANTED to have kids. And- by the grace of whatever it is that you think is out there- I actually got them. And it really is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

And so tripping over toys, or waking up at 3am to take care of my youngest who has the croup (which I did last nite), or taking my oldest to the circus when I’m really not in the mood to go (which I did today) are all things that- when I stop to think- are things that I am so grateful I get to experience. These experiences, these memories are some of the greatest treasures of my life and to be aware that these things are indeed treasures WHILE I are in the midst of raising my kids- versus years later when, in some ways, it's sort of too late- well, for that, I am blessed and I am grateful.

I was taking the trash out the other day and both my girls were ‘helping’ me wheel the cans to the curb. I ran into a neighbor who was packing up his car and he looked a little shell shocked. I don’t know him all that well, but he’s always friendly. I waved, he waved. Then he pointed at my girls and said something to the effect of, “Enjoy it man, goes by so fast…”

And he would know.

Because on that very morning he was in the process of loading up his car with luggage for his 18 year old daughter (he has two girls as well) who would be- a little later that day- heading off to her first year of college.

And I was so grateful for that moment, because it was like God/The Universe/The Angels/a Random Firing In My Brain That Has No Spiritual Aspect To It At All was tapping me on the shoulder and reminding me that I have been given a gift. And even though it’s so incredibly easy to forget- when all the day to day chores of being a parent are crashing down around you- the reality is: it is a gift.

Those gifts are- finally!-sleeping in the room next to me as I type this. And I am grateful for the silence in the house.

But a small part of me is hoping they will wake me up again at 3am just so I can hang out with my girls a little bit more :)

Thursday, August 07, 2008

I weighed 220lbs and lived in a place I really didn't care for (Foster City, California).

Here's a horrific video of what I looked like back in the day:

Pretty bad/sad, ya know?

Alot of what was making me so unhappy was the stress of my job. I had just come off the massive high of Twisted Metal 2 and had no freaking clue how I would ever follow it up. Granted, it wasn't just me who made that game. There was a whole team of mega talented folks who made the game, not to mention we had a huge help from Lady Luck cause, to this day, none of us really know WHY that game turned out so well. It just kinda...did.

But at 26 years old, I had an over inflated sense of my importance. Not to belittle my contributions, cause they were significant. But it was not all me. Not by a looong shot.

But I put the pressure on myself to follow it up with another big hit. Which was made triply tough given the fact that I was producing AND directing/designing the new title. What a mistake that turned out to be! Producing always took a back seat to design...and since I made the final calls on the team, I over designed the game when I should have been building the team and making sure the team was happy and functional. Instead of searching for balance, I went in search of the perfect game design doc and thought, once we had that, all would be well.....HA!

Before production even began, we went thru three full design documents, each one consisting of well over 150 pages and at least $100,000 of concept art!

Stunning...just stunning.

Over the next few days, I will update this entry to share some of the amazing concept art from the game we were working on during this time. It was called DARK GUNS and was to be a top down Raiden like shooter that had tons of personality, felt like Mad Magazine meets R Crumb, and was going to capture the growing casual market on the PS1 (Frogger had just shipped and done over a million units...I assumed its success meant a new audience was buying PS software that wanted simple games...I failed to take into account the value of nostalgia and a world famous brand!)....

Will also try to conclude with a gameplay video if I can get the game running and capture good enough footage right off my tv (no way to import it here at home)...

Which makes me wish PSN would do a feature on Qore soon dealing with cancelled first party Sony games. Would be so cool to let the public see a bunch of the stuff- some of it pretty far along- that never made it out the door.

Ok, well it's late...lemme just start with a cover...will put up more over the weekend:

This is just my screen showing my doodles for level design of our newest level. I have not even sent these off to Utah yet, so who knows if they will make it into the game or not.

But I figured I'd share a bit of what's up with the work on my end. Out in Utah I know the team is scrambling to get a nice, sexy build of the game going for a Sony Dog and Pony next week. While I am sure I would drive some of them crazy if I was out there everyday- and the very successful, very functional alliance we've forged over the last 12 years would prob. not work with daily,real life connection- it's times like these I WISH I was out there, so I could help with the crunch.

Ah well, I can always hop a flight :)

David

ps. I am going to upgrade the ram on my mac- my core computer- from 512MB to 2gigs today!!! I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED!!! I love my mac and it's been soooooo slow and soooo sluggish the last 6-8 months...will be so great to get it all speedy and functioning at 100% again!

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Thanks Sadeq! I had not seen that yet...which I guess answers the question regarding if I have been asked to design a GOW level for LittleBigPlanet. I've heard/seen a few game biz sites speculate that I have and I can officially say: ain't nobody asked me for nothin' in regards to that. Maybe they are having Cory do one? Or the GOW 3 team? I really have not heard a thing but I think it's a cool idea!

END UPDATE

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Just had this IM conversation with my brother...figured I'd post cause...hell, who knows why...I find stuff like this cool, I guess :)

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David Jaffewouldn't it be so creepy and cool if your iphone rang and you looked at it and thenumber calling was: (xxx) 967-xxxx? (note: the phone number of our house from when we were kids)ANDyou answered it and on the other end you heard what sounded liketwo little kids doing a prank call that sounded a bit like us as kids...and heard a tv commercial for BARGAIN TOWN USA in the background? (Note: Bargain Town was a store in Alabama with a really catchy jingle that we still remember)....Creepy!!!!That JUST happened to me!!!!

9:08 PMPhilip Jaffeno fucking way

10:20 PMPhilip JaffeWere you dreaming?That's a Twilight Zone episode!

10:30 PMDavid Jaffeis it really?a TZ episode?

Philip Jaffesounds like onei dunno

David Jaffevery cool

Philip Jaffedid that Happen?

David Jaffeplease- hells no. Can you imagine if it did tho?!?!?!how cool!

Philip Jaffewhy did you say it happened?

David JaffeI was joking.

Philip Jaffeahh

David Jaffeand I thought you were respond rite away but you were not there.

Philip Jaffewhat would you do if that happened/?

David Jaffecall the number back.and the cool part would beI would try to explain to them who I was and as I did, the world around me would begin to change and Iand my house would transform into a loony bin because I had made myself in the pastcrazy by giving them that knowledge and thus change the present.Ok...can I post this conversation on my blog?

Philip JaffeI guess, but is it interesting?

David Jaffeto me!

Philip JaffeI mean it's a neat idea, but this conversation?

David Jaffeyep...good blog fodder!

Philip Jaffeok then

David Jaffethx! Then I am going to bed- so tired....

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Ok...there ya go...these are the things I am thinking about as of late. I think it'd be amazing!

Friday, August 01, 2008

Well I am already crazy sore (tomorrow is going to be hell!) and I'm covered in dust from 2-3 really lame, stupid looking slides into third base. In my head, I was a freaking softball superstar...but Mike B (super supreme coder and all around genius at getting console games blazing fast on the net) caught the whole game on video tape... so I'm sure next week- when I see the replays-I'll realize how dorky I really looked. Either way, it was a blast! Now I am tired, super sore, bruised, dirty as hell, and ready to just get my ass back home. I am stunned they didn't stop me at security when they saw me limping- YES LIMPING!!!- up to the gate and covered in dirt :)

Check out some pics from the game:

Here we are, about to start the game...man, I haven't played base/soft ball in AGES...like over 20 years! But hey, I can still hit that ball and it still feels great to connect with it in JUST the right way....no home runs for me, but it still felt great! Thanks Angelic- production manager (I think that's her title)- for setting the whole thing up :)

New Idea: FIRST PERSON BASEBALL! Has that been done before?!?! If not, I got dibs!!!

And just for fun, here's a pic of the toys I picked up for my girls at the airport gift shop. I sometimes bring stuff home for them..but not always. I like to keep them on their toes and not spoil them. But I'm dying to see them and make pancakes with them in the morning...and I just figured, what the hell! Check it out:

Cute, eh?

Oh man! TV IS SO DATED!!!! They got Wolf Blitzer playing on the airport tv doing his 'situation room' thang and trying to punch the news and make everything feel all important and exciting...but I'm like: dude, I read that news on the net like 2 hours ago. He's all like: STAY TUNED AND FIND OUT WHAT THE HECKLERS SAID TO OBAMA TODAY!!!!....and I'm like: yeah, already knew about that before we started the softball game. Man...amazing how far we've come! :) So cool!

Ok...chat later- great weekend ya'll!!!!

+++++++++++END UPDATE

Has it been a year already?!? Actually, a little over a year!!?!? AMAZING! Seemed like just yesterday we were trying to figure out if we even wanted to leave the safe haven of Sony and venture out on our own...so glad we did!

After one year, we're still in business, we've been successful enough to pay out some bonuses to the amazing team, and we're ramping up for our best T...err, never mind! Can't talk about that...not quite yet :)

The gist is: we're just getting started!

Out in Utah rite now to celebrate! Gonna head out soon for softball and food with the team! Will take pics and update over the weekend!

Talk soon!

David

ps. yes, I've read the Mummy reviews. And YES, I'm gonna see it anyway! Let ya'll know what I think...if you guys see it, please comment and give us the high level 'good or bad'...with no spoilers please :)

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My Latest Game

This is the game I directed/lead designed that is currently running on Playstation Network! The critics pretty much hated it but it has its fans and I am one of them! I'm super proud of this thing and I think it's a blast! Hope to see ya online while it's still alive :).

THE LITTLE COMPANY THAT WAS...

We've officially shut down The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency. I am almost certain it shall rise again one day in some form or another but at least as far as ver 1.0 is concerned, 'She's dead, Jim'. And I'll miss her. What a great team, a great company, and a great experience. Thanks for everything, Bartlet Jones! And thanks to Sony for the opportunity to launch our little adventure; y'alls faith in us remains so appreciated! Y'all rock!